Coast Watches: Twelve Meditations

Table of Contents

I have always loved the wild Oregon Coast, but last year I knew I must live by the sea. My friends told me I was suffering from Oceanitis, and that I’d get over longing for a dream house at the beach, just like everyone else.

I told them Oceanitis wasn’t a disease, but a calling, and that I was going to find my writer’s retreat.

The sign said, Road Closed, but I kept on going… over a 1927 one-lane bridge and into a one-loop cluster of 53 houses on the lava rocks below Cape Foulweather.

Called Miroco (see-the-rocks), this community voted against streetlights, paved roads and gates; its bulletin posted meetings of its water and road commissions… and parties.

There it was… an ocean-front-once-removed Lindahl cedar home called Whale Watcher’s Delight. How could I refuse? I’ve never regretted becoming house-rich and cash-poor, because Miroco offers so many blessings: beauty, sanctuary, and community.

BEAUTY. The wood-ceiling-and- decked house with a three-story glass front. The 160-degree view of the ocean and rocks below. The sunsets, the moonsets, the stars at night. The clouds, the rain, the surf.

SANCTUARY. Because the road beyond us fell into the ocean in 1996, the whole blocked-off area has become sanctuary for bald eagle, osprey, bobcat, bear, and us. It’s peaceful, it’s berry heaven.

COMMUNITY. Most of all, us year-rounders are a family, helping each other during storms or hard times.

Characters: a concrete sculptor, a wine-maker, a thirteen-sided house builder, a Keiko staff diver, a watercolor teacher, a Native American painter, a vegetarian cook, a gravel hauler, and world- traveling retirees. Eccentric. All with Oceanitis.

So I say, Road Closed? Keep on going! Follow your dream, find your joy. These meditations are my way of sharing the wonders I’ve found living in Miroco.

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Anuk-Ite’: Double-Face Woman: Poems

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About the Symbol

Next to the south window of the little cabin a plyboard had been nailed over the logs and painted yellow. In the center a large red circle was flanked by a red arrow on each side, facing outwards.

Selo Black Crow said, "I’ll tell you a good story. Two arrows, two warriors, Crow Dog and Black Crow, and one hochoka, one sacred circle. A hundred years ago, fighting at the Little Big Horn, Black Crow, my great-grandpa, and Crow Dog, Leonard’s great-grandpa, made a sacred bond of brotherhood. Still strong after a hundred years. Now it’s me and Leonard who‘re the warriors fighting the government for treaty rights. When we sundanced together, I painted it here so everyone could see we help each other. We keep our AIM camps a-going, Camp Lakota and Crow Dog’s Paradise. Sanctuaries to revive the spiritual heart of our culture."